Slip ring device



Dec. 1, 1970 PANASJUK EIAL 3,544,949

SLIP RING DEVICE Filed Oct. 12, 1967 United States Patent 3,544,949 SLIP RING DEVICE Lev Emelianovich Panasjuk, Ulitsa Oktyabrskaya 95-h, kv. 47; Arnold Karlovich Kupits, Ulitsa Oktyabrskaya 95-a, kv. 70; Evgen'y Mikhailovich Romanov, Ulitsa Krasnoarmeiskaya 20-a, kv. 43; Veniamin Dmitrievich Ageev, Ulitsa 9 Maya 62-a, kv. 37; and Vladimir Vasilievich Ryazantsev, Ulitsa Metallurgov 23/11, kv. 10, all of Tula, U.S.S.R.

Filed Oct. 12, 1967, Ser. No. 674,937 Int. Cl. H01r 39/18 US. Cl. 3398 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A slip ring device for transmitting electrical power comprises a plurality of contact pairs between a power supply source and a receiver, the pairs being constituted by rings which are stacked in two packs, the rings of one pack being flat while an edge of each of the rings of the other pack is formed with circumferentially spaced radial lamels which are bent from the plane of its ring and resiliently contact the surface of an associated ring of the other pack. Each ring has a connector element for connection with the source or the receiver and the connector elements are angularly offset in the rings of each of the packs.

The invention relates to slip ring devices designed for transmitting electric power from a power supply source to a receiver, both rotating relative to each other, without any limitation of the turn angle.

There are known slip ring devices with slip rings contacting the external cylinder surface. Used as contacts therein are brushes, singleor multi-conductor strings (cf. e.g., the magazine Elektronik No. 2, (in German) February 1962, page 55 The disadvantages of the said devices are as follows: low reliability when operating under conditions of heavy mechanical overloads, in cold, hot or dust-laden atmosphere, or with a high moisture content; large overall dimansions, rapid wear of contactor elements, the necessity to employ noble metals, since minimum contact resistances are required, as well as the necessity to regularly perform preventive maintenance procedures.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate the aforementioned disadvantages.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a slip ring device characterized by high reliability and endurance to impact overloads, under any climatic conditions and possessing extremely small overall dimensions and weight.

Said object is achieved in a slip ring device designed for transmitting electric power from a power supply source to a receiver, both rotating relative to each other without any limitation of the turn angle of contact pair elements, wherein a contact pair consists of parallel rings, one of which is provided with contact lamels spaced along at least one edge of the ring and elastically pressed against the other ring of said contact pair.

The ring lamels are advantageously arranged radially.

The contact lamels are bent away from the plane of its ring and are pressed against the flat surface of the second ring of the contact pair, while the ends of the lamels are spaced at different distances from axis of rotation of the contact pair and are placed into lubricating medium.

Moreover, like contact rings each assembled in a pack, are secured on different carrier elements, each outlet of the contact pair being shifted through a certain angle with respect to the next one.

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Hereinbelow the invention is made clear from its embodiment and from the drawings attached hereto, where- FIG. 1 is a side view, partially broken away and in section of the slip ring device, according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 shows a top view of the same device.

The slip ring device is comprised of a pack assembled from flat contact rings 1, toothed contact rings 2 and insulating rings 3. The contact rings 1 and 2 are manufactured of a thin-sheet copper alloy, while the insulating rings 3 are manufactured of a sheet dielectric material.

The toothed contact rings 2 are provided with a great many radially spaced lamels bent from the plane of ring 2. Due to this arrangement each lamel is pressed against a fiat contact ring 1 with a necessary contact pressure, an appropriate distance between the contact rings 1 and 2 being maintained.

With the contact rings 1 and 2 rotating relative to each other, the lamels of the toothed ring 2 slip along the smooth surface of the fiat ring 1.

To reduce wear on the contact surfaces by virtue of their engagement with one another, the ends of the lamels are spaced at different distances from the axis of rotation of the contact pair to define an Archimedean spiral. This allows each contact lamel have its own contact path.

The pack is installed on the key-type bosses of the housing 4 manufactured of a dielectric material, and is pressed from above by a steel cover 5. The external portion of the pack is assembled by means of pins 6 on the frame which consists of upper and lower steel rings 7 and 8 carrying a race to receive balls 9 which serve as ball bearings.

Soldered to the contact rings 1 and 2 are connector lugs 10. The outlets of the wiring of the device pass through openings in the cover 5, the upper ring 7 and the lower ring 8.

The lamels of the toothed ring 2 come into contact with the fiat ring 1 in a lubricating medium thus ensuring a small wear on the contact pairs.

The lubricant may be of a liquid type and is poured into the air-tight housing 4 until the pack is completely immersed in the lubricant.

It is possible to use a consistent grease which is applied to the working surface of the fiat rings 1.

Apart from the aforementioned advantages of the lubrication system used in the slip ring devices, the application of a consistent grease has one further advantage, i.e. the latter localizes wear products of the contact pairs. In this case the service life of the contact pairs is substantially increased without any preventive maintenance procedures to be involved.

Application of lubricants in the slip ring devices of the known design is intolerable since this impairs the contact of the brush with the ring.

The device of the invention may be used in mechanisms and instruments whose electric power receivers rotate with respect to the power supply sources without any limitation of the turn angle such as swinging jibs columns or towers of hoisting devices, automatic rotary conveyors, swivel stages and the like.

What is claimed is:

1. In a slip ring device for transmitting electric power from a power supply source to receiver with both of them rotating relative to each other without any limitation of the turn angle of the contact pair elements, an improvement comprising contact pairs each consisting of parallel rings, one of which is provided with contact lamels spaced along at least one edge of the ring and elastically pressed against the other ring of the pair, and connector means for each contact pair comprising a separate connector element on each ring, the connector elements being adapted for individual connection to the source or the receiver.

2. A contact pair, according to claim 1, wherein the contact lamels of said one ring are spaced radially.

3. A contact pair, according to claim 1, wherein the contact lamels are bent away from the plane of the ring and are pressed against the flat surface of the second ring of the pair.

4. A contact pair, according to claim 2, wherein the contact lamels are bent away from the plane of the ring and are pressed against the fiat surface of the second ring of the pair.

5. A contact pair, according to claim 1, wherein the ends of the lamels of the ring are spaced at different distances from the axis of rotation of the contact pair.

6. A contact pair, according to claim 2, wherein the ends of the lamels of the ring are spaced at different distances from the axis of rotation of the contact pair.

7. A contact pair, according to claim 3, wherein the ends of the lamels of the ring are spaced at different distances from the axis of rotation of the contact pair.

'8. A contact pair, according to claim 1, wherein the contact pair is placed into a lubricating medium 9. A contact pair, according to claim 1, wherein the like contact rings each assembled in apack, are secured 4 on different carrierelements, each connector element of a contact pair being shifted through a certain angle with respect to the next one.

10. A contact pair according to claim 1 wherein the contact pairs are stacked in respective packs, the lamels of adjacent rings being bent out of the plane of their respective rings in opposite directions.

11. A contact pair according to claim 5 wherein the ends of the lamels define a spiral.

12. A contact pair according to claim 6 wherein the ends of the lamels define a spiral.

13. A contact pair according to claim 7 wherein the ends of the lamels define a spiral.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 24,820,207 1/1958' Roy et a1. 3395 2,937,224 5/1960 Yeagley 174 21.3 2,981,916 4/1961 OBrien 3395 3,058,082 10/ 1962 Messerli 339- 8 3,400,357 9/ 1968 Cary et al. 3395X 3,408,610 10/196'8 Clarkson 3398 2,179,693 11/ 1939 Goldstein 219-4 RICHARD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner 

